Method of and apparatus for pickling rods, pipes, and the like



I. T. MOLTRUP.

METHon or AND APPARATUS Fon PlcKLmG noos. PIPEs, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED y.IULY I0. |920.

1,393,633. Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

EETS-SHEET I.

a fm

1. T. MOLTRUP.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR PICKLING RODS, PIPES, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY I0. 1920. v

Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

- SHEETSAHEET 2.

INN El UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ucla.

JAMES m. MOLTRUP, or vBEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PICKLING RODS, PIPES,

Application led J'uly 10,

To all whom it may concern.'

. Be it known that I, JAMES T. MOLTRUP, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Beaver Falls, Beaver county, Iennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Methods of and Apparatus for PicklingRods, Pipes, and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan View ofa preferred form of pickling apparatus embodying my invention, with -thetop cover removed. FFig. 2 is a section on the line II-II of ig. 3 is asection on the line III-III of Fi 2, and

gig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the carriers.

My invention has relation to a method of and apparatus for picklingrods, pipes and other elongated metal articles, which are capable ofbeing handled in bundles or bunches. The object of my invention is toprovide a method and means `whereby articles of the above specifiedcharacter may. be vthoroughly and effectively pickled in a minimum timeand with a minimum of manual handling. My invention, in its preferredform, also provides a method and apparatus of the above describedcharacter wherein the rods or other articles after being pickled areautomaticall transferred to one or more washing bat s.

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings in which I have shown one form of apparatusembodying my invention and which will now be described, it beingpremised, however, that various changes can be made( in' the details ofconstruction, arrangement and combination of the/various parts withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention as delined in theappended claims. v y

In these drawings, the numeral 2 designates a tank `or receptacle whichmay be conveniently constructed of .concrete `and which is d1vided-.intoa pickling compartment 3, a waterwash compartment 4, and

' analkaline-wash compartment 5, these three compartments being arrangedin series, and separated from each other by ortions 6 of the bottom ofthe tank whic are raised Specification ot Letters Patent.

AND THE LIKE.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921. 1920. serial Nq. 395,240.

.Adjacent to the inner side of the; door 8 at the entrance to thecompartment 3 these tracks are preferably provided with depresslons 11,the purpose of which will presently appear. Adjacent tothe lowerportions of these tracks, are conveyer chains 12 arranged betweenupwardly inclined portions of the tracks, each of these chains beingprovided with a conveyer arm or finger 13. These chains extend upwardlyand forwardly within the forward end of the compartment 3 and arearranged to' deliver onto the portions 14 of the tracks which extenddownwardly and forwardly intothe compartment 4, and thence upwardly atthe outer side of conveyer chains 15 which are similar tothe conveyerchains 12 in location vand arrangement. These conve er chains 15, inturn,`are arranged to disc arge onto track portions 16 in thecompartment 5 and which are similar tothe track portions 14. Thesetracks in turn areprovided with a third pair of conveyer chains 17similar to the chains before described, and which are arranged toydeliver onto arunway extension downwardly within the pickling' e exitopening from the com- 18 of said chains leading `out through the door 84at the discharge'end of the apparatus. The track portions 9, 14, 16 and18 referably extend continuously throu h t e apparatus-andadas guidesfort e carriers while they are en the conveyers, as well asy between theconve ers. v v

The three sets' o conveyer chainsare preferably driven in unison by anysuitable means. For this purpose, I have shown an is connected by adriving chain 23 with a third transverse shaft 24 which drives theconveyer chain 17. 4

25 designates carriers which are of ring form with a central portion 25aof larger diameter adapted to grooves in the tracks before described,and end portions of smaller l' articles to roll or tumble within thecarvveyers 12,

riers. These carriers with the articles therein are then placed on therunway 10 and are successively rolled in to the compartment 3 on thetracks 9. The depressionsll in these tracks act to check the momentumAof each pair of carriers as they roll into the tank compartment, butare not suiiiciently deep to permanently arrest the movement of suchcarriers. This operation is repeated until there are a series ofcarriers.

in said compartment extending tothe conas shown in Fig. 2. As eachcarrier reaches the lower end of the tracks 9, it is @caught by theconveyer fingers 13 and taken up to the track portions 14 and into thewater-wash compartment 4. After rolling down the tracks in thiscompartment, it 1s taken b the conveyer chains 15 and delivered to t etrack portions 16. It passes in a similar manner through the compartment5 and is delivered by the chains 17 onto the runway 18. In starting theoperationvwith an empty tank, it will be necessary to return the firstfew bunches of articles which pass through the apparatus to thecompartment 3 Vfor further treatment. Thereafter each bunch or bundle isheld in the pickling compartment lon enough to insure complete pickling,the c ains 12 being driven at such a speed as to remove one of thebundles or bunches at desired intervals. For instance, if thecompartment 3 is made to contain twelve bundles or bunches withtheir'carriers, and an hour is required for the pickling operation, thechains 12 are driven at such a speed as to remove one of the bundles orbunches every five minutes. The angle o f the tracks in the severalcompartments'issuch that the carriers-,will

roll on these tracks, instead of sliding. This rolling movement of thecarrier. constitutes an important feature of'my invention, since therods or other articles being pickled are thereby caused to beV tumbledas they fare carried through the several baths. This insures thatsubstantially all portions of each article will be uniformly pickled.

`live steam "into leaving sufficient room for the last wash compartment.

' while md'vi Owing to the fact that the pickling compartment is tightlyclosed, -being without openings to the surrounding air except during theshort intervals when the swinging door 8 at the entrance end is openedto admit a new charge, it will be apparent that the fumes from the bathare substantially confined within the compartment and are prevented fromescaping in any great quantity. The pickle bath may be heated in anyusual or suitable manner as byvmeans of pipes 26 which are arranged todischarge the pickle liquid. Similar heating pipes 27 may be providedfor the alkali wash compartment.

While I prefer to provide the apparatus with one or more washcompartments arranged in series with the pickle bath compartment, Idesire it understood that my invention may be used in connection withthe pickle bath alone and the subsequent washes be. given in anysuitable manner.

The apparatus can be made of any desired capacity so that it will be`capable of handling any desired number of articles. The operation isentirely mechanical from the time the articles are introduced into thepickling compartment until they leave the This enables the work to bedone with a minimum amount of manual labor. The fact that thecompartments are closed also operates to prevent to a large extent lossof heat and enables the operations to be carried on a shorter time thanis possible with an open bath.

I claim:

1. The herein described method of pickling, which comprises placing thearticles to be pickled in a carrier, moving the carrier bodily through apickling bath, and causing the articles to move within the carrierdurintheir rogress through said bath, substantia ly as escribed. ,py

2. The herein described method of picklingywhich comprises placing thearticles to be pickled in a carrier, moving the carrier through thecarrier to rotate about-a changing axis through said bath to therebycause a tum ling movement of the articles in the carrier, substantiallyas described.

Y 3. The herein described methodof pickling), which comprises placingthe` articles to e 4. The herein described method ofpickwhich comprisesplacing the articles 1111s; to e pickled A1n a carrler, `moving thecarpickled in a carrler moving the car. rier throughA a plckhngy ath,causing thev a pickling bath, and causing y the carrier with rthearticles 1,sos,ess

rier in succession through a pickling bath and one or more washingbaths, and causing the carriers to rotate as they. move through saidbaths, substantially as described.

5. Pickling apparatus, comprising a bath"- containing receptacle havinga downwardly inclined track or guide therein, andcarriers for thearticles to-be pickled adapted to roll on the said track or guide,substantially as described.

6. The herein described method of pickling, which comprises placing the'articles to be pickled in a carrier in which the articles are free tochange their position, and causing the carrier to roll through apickling bath, substantially as described.

7. The herein described method of ickling, which comprises placing theartic es to be pickled in suitable carriers in which they are free toshift their relative positions, and causing said carriers to rollthrough a pickling bath, substantially as described.

8. Pickling apparatus, comprising a bathcontaining receptacle andcarriers for the articles to be pickled adapted to roll in saidreceptacle, said carriers lbeing relatively short as compared to thelength of the articles to be pickled, substantially as described.

, 9. Pickling apparatus, comprising a bath receptacle having downwardlyinclined tracks therein, carriers for the articles to be pickled adaptedto roll on said tracks, and

means 'for discharging the carriers one by f one with the articlestherein at the exit end of the receptacle, substantially as described.

10. Pickling apparatus, comprising a bathLcontaining receptacle havindownwardly inclined tracks therein, said tracks having depressionsadjacent the entrance end of the receptacle, and relatively shortcylindrical carriers arranged to surround bundles or bunches of thearticles to be pickled and to roll on said tracks, substantially asdescribed.

' 11. Pickling apparatus, comprising a plurality of communicatingcompartments-arranged in longitudinal series, tracks extendingdownwardly into each of said compartments, carriers adapted to travelo'n said tracks, and conveyers arranged to receive the carriers anddeliver them from one compartment to the next compartment or to an exitleading from the last compartment, substantially as described.

12,Pickling apparatus, comprising a series of communicating closedcompartments arranged in longitudinal series, tracks extendingdownwardly into each compartment, a conveyer in each compartmentadjacent to the lower portions of said tracks, and closures normallyclosing communication between said compartments and between the endcompartments and the surrounding air, substantially as described.

13. Pickling apparatus, comprising an inclosed4 compartment havingentrance and exit doors, tracks leading downwardly into the compartmentfrom the entrance door, and a conveyer leading upwardly from the lowerportions of said tracks to a point near the exit door, substantially asdescribed.

14. Pickling apparatus, comprising an inclosed compartment havingentrance and exit doors, tracks leading downwardly into the compartmentfrom the entrance door, and a conveyer leading upwardly from the lowerportions of said tracks to a point near the exit door, together withcarriers adapted to receive the articles to be pickled and to travel bygravity on said tracks, substantially as described. f

In testimony whereof,.I have hereunto set m hand.

y JAMES T. MoLTRUP.

